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WATERBURY — After three days of deliberations, a jury Tuesday convicted a 26-year-old city man of murder in the brutal killing of a volunteer who was bludgeoned while he was on his way to help voters on Election Day.

In addition to murder and felony murder, jurors in Waterbury Superior Court also convicted Johnny Martinez of robbery and tampering with evidence.

Martinez is the second man to be convicted in the slaying of Arnaldo Gonzalez, a 48-year-old man who was beaten to death on Baldwin Street on Nov. 2, 2010.

"I think it was the appropriate verdict for a heinous crime," said Senior Assistant State's Attorney Cynthia Serafini.

Gonzalez left his Savings Street home near sunrise with a backpack strapped on his shoulders that held little more than a coffee thermos, juice and needles for his insulin. He was headed for a polling center to serve as a Spanish interpreter for voters, but only made it as far as the 400 block of Baldwin Street.

It was there, near a mini-market, that authorities say he crossed paths with Martinez and Michael Mark Jr. who knocked him to the ground with a blow from behind. Mark is believed to have bashed Gonzalez in the head with a rock, while Martinez stomped on his head.

Investigators believe the men wanted to rob Gonzalez after spotting him while they drove to a "bootlegger" who sold beer from the back of a home on River Street.

It's unlikely that Gonzalez saw the blow that felled him as he was found with no defensive wounds and a lollipop in his mouth. Gonzalez's assailants left him in a pool of blood on the sidewalk and his bag was stolen.

A medical examiner found Gonzalez's skull was cracked and he suffered brain trauma from at least three blows to the head. Those injuries could have been made from either a rock or a foot, the examiner found.

Martinez's trial took weeks, and included testimony from a witness who said she saw Martinez wash blood from his white sneakers after the men returned to a home on Second Avenue following the robbery. Martinez also rifled through Gonzalez's bag, then tossed it on the roof of a building after the killing, a witness testified.

Neither Gonzalez's family nor Martinez's supporters were in the courtroom to hear the verdicts.

Gonzalez was described by his family as a hardworking, nice guy who would help anybody in need. He had worked as a restaurant manager before he became disabled due to seizures and other ailments. Gonzalez, a lifelong resident, had also volunteered his time at a city soup kitchen.

Martinez, a clean-shaven man with black-rimmed glasses who grew up in foster care, stood as the verdicts were announced, but showed little reaction when "guilty" was repeated six times by the jury foreman.

After the decisions, he sat, pulled his glasses from his nose and rubbed his temples. Martinez, who faces life in prison when he's sentenced, seemed distant as he leaned forward on a table in front of him and stared at a wall.

His attorney, Steven Rasile, declined to comment after the decisions. An appeal is planned, he said.

"Obviously, we're not happy with the verdict," he said.

Serafini said Martinez's confession, in which he admitted to kicking a man on the street, was a key to the case. Martinez denied knowing details from the murder, yet he told a psychologist a different version of events, telling the doctor he had bleached a bag stolen during the robbery and saw Mark pick up the rock used to slay Gonzalez, Serafini said.

Serafini, who prosecuted the case along with Senior Assistant State's Attorney Terence Mariani, didn't say what sentence they would recommend, but life in prison was a consideration.

In addition to the murder counts, the jury also convicted Martinez of conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.

At Serafini's request, Judge Juliet Crawford raised Martinez's bond to $3 million. He's scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12. Mark was convicted of murder earlier this year and awaits sentencing.

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